Due to an increase in awareness and desire for healthier and longer life, research and innovation in healthcare and longevity of human body physical features, such as skin and hair, have been conducted for decades. One recent aspect of the research and innovation is to have an imaging system to enhance study of attributes of physical features and to aid in planning care for conditions identified by the image analysis.
One form of imaging system is a handheld magnifying apparatus that provides a video image to a screen, at which a dermatologist or other professional can study the details shown in the image to evaluate conditions and make treatment recommendations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,489, titled “Magnifying Observation Apparatus”.
It is also known to provide software that accepts as input certain skin condition survey answers and to provide a recommendation for skin treatment products that address the conditions and a subject's expressed preferences. For example, Nu Skin International Inc. of Provo, Utah offers a Nu Skin Regimen Optimizer™ software program.
As digital image processing has become more widespread, systems have been developed for capturing digital skin images and using computer means to analyze the digital images, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,003 B1 and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0218810.